


Cherries Jubilee

by ratherbeblue



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-25
Updated: 2017-05-25
Packaged: 2018-11-04 15:53:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10994127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ratherbeblue/pseuds/ratherbeblue
Summary: Oh, god, when did he start caring about things like the future again? Oh right, when he realized he’d actually be able to have one.A real future, with Lup and Barry and Magnus and Merle and Angus and everyone. Including Kravitz apparently.Hachi Machi.





	Cherries Jubilee

**Author's Note:**

> This all takes place in a hypothetical future after the Hunger is defeated.  
> A few notes to keep in mind while reading:  
> I don't think Lup would hold any ill will toward Kravitz if he is no longer hunting for litch Barry.  
> Also I do not think Taako was being malicious with his use of the 'Lulu' nickname, but it is simply something Lup prefers he only call her in private/not in the presence of strangers.

“It’s kind of funny that Lup and I both ended up dating giant nerds, huh?” Taako mused, pressing one of the socked feet in Kravitz’s lap into his side.

“Excuse me?” Kravitz asks in mock offense.

“Oh please, Krav, don’t pretend like you’re not a huge dork.”

“I’m a bounty hunter for the goddess of death.”

Taako, not impressed by his deadpan, still grins toothily, wanting to egg him on a little more.

“You wanna try that again, hombre? Maybe another accent will make it more convincing.”

“Oi, I bet you’d like that, wouldn’t ya?” Kravitz eggs back, trying on the cockney accent he had used when he met Taako. “Fancy a game of cards?”

He continues, even going so far as to conjure a handful of cards and push them into Taako’s face until he admits defeat, falling over himself in laughter and narrowly missing kicking Kravitz in the teeth on accident.

“Ahhhaha! Okay, Eliza Doolittle, I think you’ve proven my point.”

Kravitz hums.

“Maybe so, but as you said you _are_ the one who chose to date me.”

“Hey, you may be a nerd, but that doesn’t mean you’re not super hot. Until you open your mouth people will still think I’m dating some kind of tall dark and handsome smooth criminal.”

“Ha! Well I suppose I’ll just have to take that as a compliment. So…how _is_ it going, with Lup and everything?”

Taako jerks his legs out of Kravitz’s lap, suddenly remembering where the conversation had started.

“Oh! Um…as fine as it can be I guess. What with the whole years of me not remembering her while she rotted away in an umbrella and all…It’s…something.”

“Do you… want to talk about it?”

“Not really?” Taako feels himself curling in unconsciously and hates himself for it. “I mean, it fucking sucks and I don’t even know how I feel about anything anymore so, not exactly a date night convo, you dig?”

Kravitz nods emphatically.

“Of course, I just thought I’d ask. So…” He grins, leaning back over so his mouth hovers near Taako’s ear, making it twitch at the approximation of another accent. “what was all that about me being a nerd?”

Taako lets out a not at all attractive snort.

“Oooh geez, let me guess, now you _vant to suck my blood_?”

“I wouldn’t be opposed.” Kravitz says, pretending to consider it.

“Oh?”

“Well, maybe not just yet, but we’ll see where the evening takes us.”

…

Kravitz wakes before Taako, which is quite common on the occasion that they do end up staying the night together. Kravitz wakes in the false light bouncing off the walls of Taako’s small dorm in the former Bureau of Balance headquarters, inhales a deep unnecessary breath, and takes a moment to look over his partner.

Taako’s hair was wildly strewn across the sheets and his mouth was open, baring a mouthful of sharp and slightly crooked teeth. It was a special kind of endearing that made Kravitz think if he still had a beating heart it would skip and stutter in adoration. But he doesn’t, so instead he smiles and brushes a hand over Taako’s sheet covered hip, making Taako shift slightly, and gets up to grab them a cup of coffee from the kitchen.

About half way there though he’s stopped by a simultaneously familiar and not too familiar voice.

“Hey bucko! If you’re hoping for a romantic breakfast you’re barking up the wrong tree, pal.”

“O-oh, um sorry, I was just-”

“What the hell’s going on out here?” Taako appears, at the end of the hallway beside his sister, looking bleary eyed and covered by a sheet with most likely nothing under it.

He marches over, much too confident for his state and fixes Lup with a look.

“Don’t look at me, he’s the one sneaking around when you and I have work to do.”

“Hey, speak for yourself, I’m on extended vacation after the shit this company’s put me through, and besides, he can stay here for the next 50 years if he wants, I invited him!”

Lup opens her mouth, but Kravitz grabbed Taako’s hand and unknowingly interrupts.

“No she’s right, I really should get going.” He presses a kiss to Taako’s hand and turns, remembering they’re not alone, to see Lup looking slightly amused. “Well, um, toodles!”

Kravitz quickly rips through the material plane with a wave of his fingers and a red tint to his face.

“Nice going, Lulu. I was about to catch dessert for breakfast if you catch my drift.”

“I think everyone would be able to catch that drift, Taako.” She walks through the now vacated space and brushes by Taako on her way to the kitchen. “Now put some pants on and help me out in here.”

Taako lets out an indignant shriek. “Just so you know, I _am_ wearing pants, but now they’re coming off, thanks to you!”

Her eyes flicker down to the sheet wrapped around her brother. “Uh-huh, have fun with that, Barry and Magnus should be back from training in about mmm…30 seconds?”

She raises a challenging eyebrow.

Taako narrows his eyes in response.

The sound of footsteps fades in and Lup smiled in victory.

“Ugh, fine!” Taako did a 180 turn back into his private quarters, white sheet swishing around his feet as he pulled the door closed behind him and, in a moment of childish revenge, stuck his tongue out at Lup.

He heard her melodic laugh trailing away as she no doubt headed to the kitchen to start something for breakfast. Taako knows he should change quickly and go out to help her, Magnus alone can still out-eat a power bear on a good day, and with him and Barry getting out of the gym at the same time she had her work cut out for her. Still, he couldn’t help but feel out of place, both in the kitchen and with Lup.

He envies the way Magnus and Merle seem to have just picked up where they left off, happy and loving and carefree now that the dark fate of existence has been circumvented. It just doesn't feel right to pretend things are okay when they’re really, really not. Taako was left alone, for _years_ , feeling stupid, and useless, and _wrong_. And worst of all not knowing why.

It’s a little hard to bounce back from all that. At least, it’s hard to all at once, and that seems like what everyone else is able to do.

So instead he takes his time when he can, like now. He absconds to the en suite bathroom and takes his time scrubbing the grime and sweat from his body. He takes time brushing out his overgrown hair, he takes his time pulling it up and laying out an outfit for himself. He takes his time to calm his breath and take his pulse. He takes his time buttoning up his shirt and pushing up his sleeves, then pushing them down again. He takes his time to find the knob on the door and turn it.

One last calming breath.

Showtime.

…

After breakfast the four of them stand around the kitchen, he and Lup taking turns blasting off spells to dry and stack dishes after Magnus and Barry finish washing them. When they finish Taako turns to go back to his room when Lup stops him with a light touch to his arm.

“Hey Taako, mind staying back for a sec?”

“Of course, what’s up, Lulu?” Taako tries to stop himself from feeling a little put out and nervous at the change in plans, and he mostly succeeds.

She lets out a short breath of laughter. “Let’s go to my room, okay? I think this will be easier with a little privacy.”

“Well now I’m nervous!” Taako only half jokes.

Lup just smiles, a little wryly, and leads the way back to her bunk.

When they get there she just sits down cross-legged on her bed and pats the spot in front of her, letting Taako know he can follow suit.

Their knees nearly touch and Taako looks down at his own hands, not knowing what to do or how to act for the second time that day.

“So…you wanna tell me what’s going on with you or do I have to drag it out kicking and screaming?” Her voice lilts with the barest bones of humor, but Taako appreciates the effort anyway. “Look, all I know is you were barely present during breakfast and you’ve been spending more time alone in your room or off with Kravitz than you have with any of the rest of us.”

He sighs, knowing she’s right and knowing he was going to have to acknowledge his avoidance eventually. “I just…don’t understand how everyone’s okay with everything when everything’s…not okay.”

“Taako-”

“That came out wrong, I mean really everything _is_ okay, more okay than it’s ever been really, but…I just hate that everyone’s so happy all the time after everything we quite literally _just_ went through. Not to say that I’m not happy, because I am happy, that you’re here and alive, that we all are…I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” The last part came out half as a sob.

“Nothing’s wrong with you, bubeleh.”

“It really feels that way.” He whispers. “I hate not having anyone to blame but myself.”

“Listen, Taako. I know this sucks okay? But I don’t want to blame you and I’m pretty sure you don’t want to blame me so let’s just…agree that it wasn’t our fault, any of it. Apologies are not our strong suit.” Taako huffed out a wet sounding laugh at that. “That being said, you know how much I regret not being with you for those twelve years and I’m going to give you some overdo advice that you’re not going to like.”

“Well geez, if I was supposed to like the rest of this little speech I can’t imagine what that could be.”

“Ha ha, smartass. You’re still getting it; Taako, you deserve to be happy.”

“Ugh!” He sticks his tongue out, falsely cringing away from her momentarily.

“Shut the fuck up, I’m serious right now. You deserve to be happy and if Kravitz makes you happy then be with him. Listen, I know it fucked you up when you were alone and ended up in situations you couldn’t control. I always pretended you were the one protecting me because it made you happy, but I protected you too. We protected each other and then I was gone and it wasn’t fair to you.”

She grabs his hands from where they lay between them, squeezing reassuringly.

“It wasn’t fair to you either.” He breathes, eyes locked to their almost identical hands twined together.

“No, but that wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t _anyone’s_ fault, Taako.” She speaks with the same fiery conviction she’s always had, the conviction that kept all seven of them together throughout the hundred years they had together. “I know you don’t agree, but fighting with Lucretia, or Barry, or anyone won’t fix things. We all made mistakes and we can only fix things together. The only way we can move past this is if we do it together.”

Taako knows she’s right, knows she’s always right and he should just shut up and listen to her, like he always ends up doing.

That’s why instead of saying anything else, scared an argument might fall from his lips, Taako just nods, closing his eyes and allowing his sister to lean over and kiss him on the forehead. His ears fall back in contentment and he feels her soft lips curl up against his skin.

“Think about it?” She asks him softly, patting his hand one last time and allowing him to leave or stay at his own pace.

…

Takko thought a lot about what Lup told him, probably more than he should have if he’s being honest, but the thoughts won’t stop swirling in his head. His sister had always been the more emotionally aware of the two of them, by leaps and bounds really. She was always so forgiving, so trusting, and not exactly nice, but at least _empathetic_. Taako had spent a hundred years saddled with five nuts and when it came down to everything breaking bad he didn’t trust a single one of them as far as he could levitate them. Whereas Lup, in all of her exactly-the-same-age-as-him wisdom, shined down on them all with words of love and forgiveness and every argument fell wayside in the resulting celebration of her new life. Even if the universe didn’t provide a perfect deus ex machina for them he has no doubt she would have pulled herself back from twelve years of death with her bare hands just to stop them from fighting. That’s just the kind of person Lup is. She’s always been able to feel the right things at the right time.

Besides all that, he’s barely known Kravitz for a year, and sure he’s hot as hell and makes him laugh and altogether seems completely smitten with what ol’ Taako’s putting on the table, but that doesn’t mean he’s off making life maps for the two of them.

Lup doesn’t know what she’s talking about…which would be great except she totally _does_ and now Taako has to worry about what makes him _happy_ , because that’s what Lup wants and she’s _always right_. And by that logic it’s Kravitz that makes him happy which means maybe he should start drafting something, and _oh, god_ , when did he start caring about things like the future again?

Oh right, when he realized he’d actually be able to have one.

A real future, with Lup and Barry and Magnus and Merle and Angus and _everyone_. Including Kravitz apparently.

_Hachi Machi._

Taako holds his stone of farspeech tightly in his hand, deciding then and there that he has to talk to Kravitz

Sooner rather than later.

“Heey, Krav-a-dav! Listen, you know how last night you asked me how things were going and I said I didn’t want to talk about it? Well, I do now! So, if you want to come over, or something, do that? If not, that’s fine too, just…let me know.” Taako feels himself pulling the stone away to hang up in a panic, but stops after hearing a voice on the other end.

“Taako? Wait, I’m actually done for the day, I’ll be over in a minute.”

The light flickers off as the call ends and all Taako can do is stare at it.

Shit.

 _Shit_ , shit, shit shit, shit.

Taako feels himself freeze in place as he replays what he just told Kravitz, what he told him he _would_ tell him. And sure Kravitz is so damn gracious he would probably drop it completely if Taako just said the word, but…maybe he should just give it up. Give it up and stop pretending that he isn’t fucking jazzed that Kravitz wants to be near him enough to hear that minor freak out and practically come running to him.

When Kravitz did come, Taako pulled himself away from the wall he was staring at to look at him.

Kravitz.

Kravitz with his literal otherworldly beauty, his tall and strong frame, his altogether amazing form, and his hastily pulled back hair.

“Hey.”

Taako’s heart stutters out two beats unevenly and that gives him the last bit of encouragement to finally light this baby up.

“Hey…” Taako replies.

“You said you wanted to talk?” Kravitz reminds him gently.

“Yeah, yeah, I do. I just wanted to let you know, before I start, that, um, I’m just going to have to be really honest here and I’m sorry if it scares you off or something, but Lup talked some sense into me and I’ve either got to speak up or admit defeat and ya boy is no quitter.”

He chuckles and sits down next to Taako, taking one of his hands in a gesture not unlike Lup’s from earlier.

“Alright, and in the spirit of honesty I have something to tell you first, something I probably should have said before but I didn’t want to scare you off either, or ruin what we have going on here.” Kravitz meets Taako’s eyes. “I love you, Taako, very much, and you shouldn’t feel any obligation to say it back, but I think everything will just be easier if that’s out on the table before we continue.”

If Taako thought his heart had jumped earlier, it was doing acrobatics in his chest now, making his fingertips tingle under Kravitz’s touch and breath catch in his throat as he looks at the beautiful man in front of him and knows what he is saying is true.

He knows Kravitz is infinitely stronger than he’ll ever be, not just in pure physical or magical power, but emotionally as well. Something disarming helpful about the way he wants to know Taako, not cloying and jagged like the feeling he usually gets when people try and get to know him. Taako’s good at pretending, but it’s nice to have that kind of force in his life, it’s no wonder things tend to fall to shit when he doesn’t.

“Taako? Are you okay?”

“Yeah…yeah, yeah. So, basically everything you just told me is terrifying and I don’t know what to do with it because I can’t remember a time when I’ve had to worry about things like that. And what’s really terrifying isn’t what you told me, but how much I liked hearing it and I don’t know what to do with that either. But what I do know is that I’ve lived for hundreds of years not caring about what’s going to happen next and now I have to? Or, I want to?” Taako makes a frustrated noise and shakes his head. “I guess what I’m trying to say here is…I would really like to start making plans for the future, and I want you to be a part of them.”

He looks up again, meeting Kravitz’s eyes in the same way he did earlier. Taako watches as a smile slowly grows on his face.

“Taako, nothing would make me happier than that.” Kravitz laughs. Then, he bites his lip in contemplation, probably wondering if he’s allowed to share more, and Taako is more than grateful to have someone else talk.

“What is it?”

“I just…I really admire you, Taako.” He looks down before continuing. “Look, I…did a lot of dumb shit when I was young, and it ended up getting me killed, but it also ended up getting me this job and in the position to meet you, so I guess what I’m saying is, I get it. But, I’ve given myself to fate and risked everything and I still ended up here with you so, it can’t be all bad right? To put your faith in the unknown for once. Someone’s looking out for us, and I think that someone knows how amazing you are.”

Taako distantly remembers the time he spent in Istus’ temple, and for not the first time wonders if Kravitz was somehow given to him by some higher power, if he was weaved together from the light of creation in hopes that they would one day meet. He’s not sure if he hopes that’s the case or not.

“I guess it’s true what they say, all the good ones are either gay or dead.” Taako tells him, a wry smile playing on his lips.

“No one’s ever said that.” Kravitz replies, laughing all the same.


End file.
